Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state and his aides have been berated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly employing lies and falsehood to create tension in the country. According to the party, the claim of the Fayose administration that the lawmaker representing Efon, Afolabi Akanni, has died in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) was an attempt to blackmail the federal government,

The Nation reports. In a statement on Sunday, March 20, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC publicity secretary in Ekiti, said three other lawmakers declared “missing” by the House of Assembly are hiding in Fayose’s home in Afao-Ekiti.

Olatunbosun said the recent claim by Fayose’s men that DSS officers invaded the House of Assembly “was one in the series of the governor’s shameless lies to set Nigerians against the security agency.” According to him, this comes on the heels of a report by security officers and workers of the Assembly that there was no invasion and shooting anywhere.

He said: “The spreading of the rumour of Akanni’s death bore the mark of usual blackmail stunts by the governor to create tension among the people to cause mayhem. ”This is to divert attention from his alleged criminal acts, including court invasion to beat up a judge, attacks on the opposition and criminal manipulation of electoral process that gave him victory.

“The governor’s special behaviour is the price of electing ‘unserious people’ into honourable positions of authority.”

The Ekiti state government had claimed that one of the member of the state House of Assembly, Afolabi Akanni, had died in the custody of the DSS. Lanre Ogunsuyi, information commissioner, at an emergency press conference confirmed that the legislator developed an ailment midnight of March 17, Thursday and died at dawn. However, hours later, Akanni was produced to journalists by the service.

It was confirmed that he is alive, but weak, apparently from ill-health. Akanni who represented Efon constituency was detained on March 4, when the DSS supposedly raided the assembly for undisclosed reason.

He was immediately taken to Abuja where he had since been imprisoned, in spite of the ruling of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, directing the DSS to either release him with immediate effect or produce him in court on March 16.

Governor Ayo Fayose of the state reacting to the development said that he cannot be intimidated by security operatives’ harassment, adding that President Buhari was using the DSS to oppress Nigerians.